Southern Vices
by ElGato44
Summary: The unique minds and talent The Little Conqueror has recruited over the years all have attributes needed to survive the end of the Han. To them, sometimes it takes a bit more effort to survive each other.
1. We Just Outsourced: Part 1

Disclaimer: For no particular or logical reason I have started back writing Dynasty Warriors stories. It's been a while since my days writing Dynasty Warriors stories but I'm going to try to give this another go. This originally was going to be a rewrite of my old _Dysfunctional Brotherhood _series, but this changed to be something else. So it's more of a reboot or a redux. It employs more historical and novel references, with my own twists inspired by Dynasty Warriors shenanigans among other things. For those interested this is also being posted on AO3; one of my first cross-platform stories.

**We Just Outsourced: Part 1**

Stuck in a forest in the uncharted areas of southern Danyang was not the most ideal place for a small army to find themselves in. Especially in enemy territory. The green forces of Sun Ce, son of the late Tiger of Jiangdong, were trudging through the rain and mud and their young general was getting increasingly frustrated with how slow their movement had become because of it.

"Keep moving!" Sun Ce roared to his troops, standing alongside their rank and file, waving his dirty and muddy hand along as if to speed their process. "We don't want to be sitting ducks, while they pick us off do we?!"

At that, an allied messenger arrived, going against the current of forces. "My Lord Sun Ce, a message from Han Dang. They are arriving at their position and are awaiting your orders sire. Should they wait for you to arrive?"

"I don't care if we're all there," the young general roared over the sound of his struggling army. "Tell them whoever gets there, don't wait, just attack. We gotta start a fight before they block off the bridge."

"Right away sir!" The messenger started his horse, but it didn't go much faster than the horses already stuck and wading through the mud.

"Dammit," the general murmured under his breath, shaking his head in dismay. Things were not looking good. His former inflated sense of accomplishment was now coming to a crashing halt, and he knew his troops were going to see it in his eyes, unless he got himself together.

Wading through the mud, tugging horses and carts along the way, Sun Ce didn't like the stop and go movement his troops were having as they marched towards the rendezvous site to face off against Zu Lang's tribal warriors.

"My lord!" Sun Ce spun his head around, finding his friend Lu Fan riding through the swampy grass. "A report!"

"Report away, Lu Fan," Sun Ce called over the sloshing feet of his troops, eyes focused on his personal assistant. No, Lu Fan was more than that. Sun Ce felt protective of Lu Fan, having come from the same humble beginnings of the Sun clan. Now caught in the midst of high ranking warlords and Heavens granted elites, Sun Ce wanted to keep Lu Fan close, his company a comforting reminder of where he and his army came from.

And humble beginnings Lu Fan may have come from but he had a solid military mind. He had proven more than useful in coordinating scouts.

"My scouts have reported movement from Zu Lang's rear vanguard. They are nearly at the rendezvous point."

"Thanks, my friend," Sun Ce met the strategist with a broad smile, before his voice boomed towards his troops. "You heard him! Push faster and we can bring Zu Lang to his knees!"

The cheers from his troops were strong, but uneven. Sun Ce knew he had to be wise about pushing his men, but gods dammit he was not going to let Zu Lang get away.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Sun family headquarters in the northern part of the region, far and away from the middle of the conflict starting to brew among Sun Ce's forces, his mother, Lady Wu, was waiting for word on her eldest child's progress against Zu Lang.

As she was waiting, she was listening to the storm outside. Storms normally calmed her, but now she felt it an omen. And that omen brought in a shivering and drenched messenger to the door to her quarters, requesting entry before even looking at his Lady.

At her beckoning the messenger bowed and announced, "A report from the field from Lord Cheng Pu."

Wordlessly, she held out her hand and the messenger, used to simply reporting the message verbally, handed her the scroll that held Cheng Pu's message.

"I see," she finally said after she read the scroll's contents and her emerald eyes held onto the messenger's for a moment. She dropped the scroll and folded her hands in her lap. "Please do me a favor. Send over a message to Shu County to brother Wu Jing. I request an audience with him as soon as he is able."

The messenger bowed and turned on his heel to do as asked of his Lady.

* * *

Back in the middle of the battle, Sun Ce's forces were finally seeing the banners and structures that indicated an enemy location. They were getting closer to the bridge and they could see some of their allies already in the middle of fighting.

Dismayed that he didn't arrive first, Sun Ce instructed his men to reform their line. The bridge was heavily fortified with Zu Lang's men placing barricades all around the bridge access points. They would have to be dismantled before they could even think about moving supplies and weapons in bulk. And they certainly would slow a forward charge.

Zu Lang's men even constructed a watchtower on the other side of the bridge, filled with archers at the ready to pick Sun Ce's encroaching army off. By the bodies on the ground, the archers already killed some of Zhu Zhi's men and were taking aim at the struggling soldiers of Han Dang right around the vicinity of the watchtower.

Han Dang had already forced himself past the bridge with his smaller unit, so the archers didn't have time to decimate his forces from above, but now, stuck in the middle of fighting deep in Zu Lang's line, they could not move as archers tried to take aim between the lines of Zu Lang's soldiers. Mud and rain made it hard to tell between Han Dang's soldiers and allies.

But the archers could see Sun Ce and his forces and had a good distance on them. And a good angle.

After a few volleys of arrows, Han Dang tilted his head back, face cooling in the rain, as he spotted the archers focusing in on Lord Sun Ce. Slicing a soldier across the chest, he raised his hand and shouted to get the attention of his soldiers over the sounds of swords clashing and men yelling.

"Push up the tower, lads. Now!"

The first volley of arrows wasn't able to hit any of Sun Ce's forces, they were so entrenched in the trees still, arrows sticking into branches and bark. But the second one started wounding soldiers further up his line, an arrow piercing the leg of a spear-man and another running through the shoulder of a foot soldier.

"Keep the line!" Sun Ce called as more arrows filled the sky. "They can't hit too many of us if we're still in line!"

He shuddered as he heard the thuds of a few of his men as they hit the mud, dead from impact from the arrows.

The archers had oil canisters meant for a volley of flaming arrows, used sparingly especially with Sun Ce's men still in some cover by the forest. One spark and the entirety of Danyang could be up in flames. They were to wait until Sun Ce crossed the open field towards the mouth of the bridge, before resorting to the fire arrows.

Time was not on Zu Lang's archers' side. The tower was quickly overwhelmed by Han Dang's men, as the officer made a big push, and at some point during the violence along the watchtower, one of the oil canisters toppled over, dripping through the panels of wood onto the torches and lanterns below...

As the smoke rose before him, Sun Ce could not keep his eyes off the spectacle, the watchtower quickly becoming a shining beacon in the cold, rainy, misty forest. Even the rain didn't do much against the growing flames, and the embers licked at the damp wood, the structure maintaining well against the flames, but the wet wood made the structure all the more feeble...

There was loud unearthly groan, and suddenly to the cries and screams of the men who were still alive, barely breathing against the smoke and flames, the watchtower buckled. There was a snap as one of the legs broke, the others following suit in a violent torrent of embers, smoke and ash and cries, the entire structure collapsed to the ground.

Sun Ce's jaw was slack, knowing in his gut his men were on that watchtower. Then a cry came out from behind his line.

"Behind us! Ambush!"

Sun Ce snapped out his trance, barely catching the soldier's words. "What? Impossible. Lu Fan!"

He jerked his head around, trying to find his friend, wanting an explanation on why this was missed from his scouting, but before he could locate Lu Fan he heard the telltale sound of men's voices being wrenched out of their throats as arrows and swords pierced their bodies.

Sun Ce nearly willed his men to stand their ground, and they did so admirably, but they were stuck between trees and shrubs and mud, being picked off from the Zu Lang's ambush troops as they descended from the treetops.

The back of Sun Ce's line was nearly decimated when they could see a familiar red and yellow flag bearing his family crest come down from the path where they came from.

Cheng Pu's Serpent Spear flashed against the rain as he ran, leading his troops straight towards Sun Ce.

Sun Ce wanted to tell his officer to stop, but the steely gaze of the older man was set firm. He wasn't after the mission. He was after saving Sun Ce. And he did so with a rather simple but effective strategy.

The ambush had foolishly let their rear exposed, thinking the archers would have Sun Ce pinned, but with the archers consumed in flames and Cheng Pu coming into his rescue, now the ambush found themselves surrounded. The mighty officers of Cheng Pu's unit slaughtered the ambush troops that had descended upon the line, and the remainders scattered, some into the vicious arms of Sun Ce's men who wanted a bit of revenge, others disappearing into the woods they came from.

"Our coordination is off, Lord Sun Ce," Cheng Pu said pragmatically as he wiped blood off his spear with the end of his decorative military robe. Otherwise the tall magnificent older man looked as though he merely polishing his weapon, as calm as he was. "We have to quickly reorganize and move as one. As I have advised before we ventured out."

Gesturing to get his soldiers' attentions, Sun Ce shouted to his men, "You heard him, line back up and let's get a move on. No archers. No ambush. Let's make the best of this!"

The cheers, still uneven, were much stronger now that the hail of arrows and ambush troops were no longer a problem.

"I'll take my unit first to provide cover," Cheng Pu offered and pointed to the mess of barricades before the bridge. "We'll see if we can take those down so you can move the bulk of your forces in."

"Go for it."

Cheng Pu charged ahead with his smaller quicker unit, and his forces swiftly dismantled the barricades, while Zu Lang's men scattered around to regroup after the collapse of their watchtower before Sun Ce charged with his forces.

Not known to be a patient man, Sun Ce didn't wait for Cheng Pu to remove all of the barricades, and charged forth, hoping to reach the fortifications before Zu Lang's men regrouped. Cheng Pu's protests ignored, Sun Ce swiftly swarmed the base, thankfully needing only his front line to scatter what remained inside the base. Zu Lang's men informally retreated, abandoning their position by the bridge. It was a useless position now, with much of the fortifications and supplies destroyed by the watchtower fire.

The post-battle lull loomed and there were no shouts of victory. Sun Ce instead focused on getting the rest of his forces to keep an eye out along the perimeter for any other signs of an enemy lurking.  
Meanwhile, soldiers began sifting through the bodies, trying to determine who was Zu Lang's and who was one of their own. Cheng Pu stared solemnly at the growing line of bodies laid on the ground, covered in capes, sashes and other garments out of decency.

He and Sun Ce recognized most of the bodies being from Han Dang's unit, and they searched the crowds of allied soldiers frantically looking for any sign that Han Dang or any of his men survived. Cheng Pu then turned at the sound of the soldiers calling over searching through the damage of the fallen watchtower. They had found someone alive.

"Master Han Dang!"

Immediately Cheng Pu charged towards the soldiers pulling a large body out of the charred wood of the watchtower, shoving his way past the crowd. The soldiers laid Han Dang on his back, his face covered in soot but otherwise didn't look to be burned too badly. Han Dang though was in a world of confusion, eyes flitting about when he finally managed to open them.

Coughing and sputtering, his eyes settled on Cheng Pu's anxious face, "Did...did we win?" He nodded, watching Han Dang trying to move his head around, "...my men…where are they?"

The soldiers backed away slightly, each waiting for one another to break the horrific news.

"Unless we find another survivor, they have perished." Cheng Pu's normally steely gaze faltered, awaiting his friend's reaction.

The soldiers watched, hearts breaking, as the crease in the Han Dang's forehead wrinkled, eyes lost and helpless. He whimpered, "All of them?"

No one gave an answer. The silence was enough. Shaking, Han Dang rolled onto his knees trying to force himself up, but the weight of the grief caused him to collapse, his hand covering his eyes as he howled in despair at the loss of every one of his soldiers.

For his friend, Cheng Pu did what he rarely was seen to do. He bent down to offer Han Dang a comforting shoulder. Han Dang, too delirious from grief and his wounds to care about appearances, wept openly in his fellow officer's robes.

* * *

The victorious Sun army returned to the headquarters, with the exception of trusted captain Ling Cao, who remained behind to fortify the position. The army that rolled in wasn't the boisterous, excited group that had left. And there were noticeably fewer numbers.

Even Sun Ce, normally cheery and festive after his battles, held back on his loud words boasting of his victory.

As the night waned and the generals and soldiers dispersed to their homes for the evening, Sun Ce could sense a growing anticipation. The longer the night went on, the more likely his mother and current matriarch of the Sun family, Lady Wu, would get word of the details of his victory and ask to summon him. And he had to think of an explanation without throwing anyone under the cart.

With a messy victory as this was, it was hard to analyze what went wrong and what could have gone better. Everyone did their part to the best of their ability and he wasn't going to fire anyone for things out of their control. Like bad weather and not being in familiar territory.

But she didn't summon him that evening. Nor did she the evening after. And thinking he was in the clear, Sun Ce returned to the ranks as usual, listening to a few field officers inquire over their future assignments. It was out in the courtyards among the sounds and dust of his army both relaxing after the battle and preparing for whatever new one awaits when he saw his uncle descend the steps of headquarters.

Wu Jing was always Sun Ce's favorite uncle (don't tell Sun Ben). He was his mother's younger brother and he was very similar to Sun Ce in both appearance and personality. Constantly having an impish smile on his face, constantly full of laughter, constantly leaving Lady Wu in exasperation. Being the oldest of his own siblings, Sun Ce saw Wu Jing more as an older brother than an uncle.

Sun Ce smiled at Wu Jing and raised his hand to wave, but paused as he vividly recognized the second man, tall, dressed in dark robes, with short black hair and a well groomed beard and mustache, following close behind Wu Jing's heels.

* * *

_It had been days stuck in a poor caravan, hopping from inn to inn, shanty to shanty, while traveling from Shouchun. Sun Ce and his toddler brother sat across from their mother in the traveling cart, an old rickety thing that had to have it's axels repaired twice thus far during the journey. _

_The whole ride Sun Ce had been impatient. Understandable for a child sitting in a makeshift wooden cart with only his immediate family and Huang Gai to entertain him._

_And Huang Gai wasn't in a position to entertain a child. He was escorting his lord's lady and his children to ensure their safety. But as a child Sun Ce didn't realize the extent of the danger they were all in. Especially in these times of chaos where strangers weren't welcome into new cities._

_"Had enough bouncing, Bofu?," his mother's patient tone was a bit more clipped than usual._

_"My bottom hurts," her young son said quite bluntly, earning him an arch of his mother's brow in disapproval at his choice of words. He's taken on much of Sun Jian's old mannerisms, she's found. Sun Ce rubbed the seat of his pants, sitting on hard jostling wood all day making his entire body sore. _

_They arrived in the lumber district of Shu county on a cloudy day, and fearing the oncoming rains would make traveling with their cart that much harder, the family and their guard decided to try to find a place to stay there for the next night or so. _

_Lady Wu opened up her purse and frowned. "We'll have to budget our stay here for a bit. Until our lord sends us some finances." _

_Huang Gai looked stunned, "We can't afford a place to stay you're saying." _

_Lady Wu rolled her eyes, "No Gongfu. I am moderately fiscally responsible enough to plan out until young Wu Jing arrives with funds from Lord Sun Jian. I meant that we can't afford luxury housing for the duration of the upcoming rains." _

_Just as well, the lumber district was in the poorer area of town, the houses and shops looking ramshackled at best, as many were made from leftover boards from the lumber yard, and the only inn they could see was more of a saloon. _

_"How much are we willing to spend?" Huang Gai asked. Lady Wu sorted through her purse, picking and counting silently. She held out a handful of coins to Huang Gai. _

_"For three nights," she instructed. "After that, we'll have to figure something else out." _

_Sun Ce watched Huang Gai take the coins with a curt nod and jog down the unpaved street to the saloon, and waited patiently for him to return. _

_The family waited by their cart, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves even as Quan became fussy, and Lady Wu pulled him into her arms, giving cautious glances to passers by who she thought looked in their direction for too long. _

_Eventually Huang Gai returned with news that with the money they could offer, the saloon owners were willing to lend the group one room by the stables, the cheapest room and it was more of a shed, but, thankfully, more private from the usual displays seen at saloons. _

_The family all settled in, but Sun Ce in particular wasn't at all pleased by the confinement of their room. He could be seen pacing around the small walls, picking at the cracks in the thatching of the wood. _

_Then there was a crack of thunder, and that upset Sun Quan, who was still cradled in his mother's arms. Still, Sun Ce groaned. The rains were here, and mother most likely wasn't going to let him go out and play on his own. And her patience was bound to be short with a crying Sun Quan in her arms. _

_"Gongfu," Lady Wu said, trying her best to hide her own distress, patting her youngest son on the back to try to calm him. "Sun Ce is looking a little restless. Have him assist you take the ox and cart to the stables. And be careful out there." _

_"Absolutely, my lady," Huang Gai nodded and approached the young boy. Sun Ce perked up hearing his name, glad that his mother was allowing him to be anywhere besides in this small room with Sun Quan's crying. _

_The noble officer of Sun Jian took the young boy, covering his small body in a blanket to shield from the rains. Sun Ce splashed and stomped in the mud and puddles while Huang Gai had to push the cart next to a stable stall. "Oh now you've gotten yourself all dirty, Master Sun Ce," Huang Gai groaned. "Your mother will surely be cross." _

_When they returned, Sun Quan was settled on the floor in a small assortment of blankets and cloaks brought along the journey, sleeping soundly. Lady Wu had already put on a small fire in the pit for warmth. _

_She took Huang Gai's cape and removed Sun Ce's clothing, clicking her tongue in dismay at his muddy state, and placed them nearby the flames so as to let them dry. _

_Sun Ce didn't get much sleep that night. It was a safe guess that no one got any sleep besides Sun Quan, young and still blissfully ignorant of his surroundings he still was. But as morning came, and the rains had subsided for the moment, it finally felt peaceful enough to allow sleep to take them after the weariness of travel. That was until a hard knock came at their door. Abrupt and it shook Sun Ce to his feet. _

_His mother hushed him, but couldn't hide her own look of confused terror. Huang Gai grumbled a bit, brows lowered sternly over his eyes as he peered at the doorway over his shoddy, hole-filled blanket from the far corner of the shed. The knock came again and he shook out of the blanket and stood low, motioning for Lady Wu to keep her and her family silent while he proceeded to the door. _

_He didn't answer it. Instead he crept low and peaked through a crack in the door. Whatever he saw outside must've stunned him because he snapped his head back, before glancing bewildered at the family he was to protect. He was about the mouth what he saw to the mother, when Sun Quan, swaddled next to Sun Ce began to make noise. It wasn't a cry, more of a loud fussing as the young boy began to awaken at the rising commotion. Sun Ce thought that whomever stood outside could surely hear it. _

_Lips tight, Lady Wu picked up her youngest child and cradled him against her shoulder. She then motioned to Huang Gai to move back from the door. _

_"Take Bofu, Gongfu," she quietly instructed and, as Huang Gai did so, lifting Sun Ce in his mighty arms as he retreated to the back of their shack, Lady Wu started toward the door. He was about to yell his protests when Lady Wu, with young Quan held in her arms, answered the door. She nearly jumped back at the sight of two men, both tall and noble looking, standing before her with arms folded in front of them, heads bowed as if she were a Grand Commandant's wife herself. _

_She held Quan tightly, protective, eyes following along the forms of these men, before becoming aware of a few commoners looking in their direction, curious as to why two high class men were standing in front of the seedier inns of the city, showing proper protocol of respect to a wandering mother and her children. _

_Both men raised their heads, revealing fine features, handsome they both were. Distractingly so. And their garments and physique spoke of wealth and, to the anxious glances of Huang Gai and Lady Wu, power. _

_The taller of the two men, presumably the elder one, spoke first, introducing themselves, "Good morning, my lady. I am Zhou Shang and this is my brother Zhou Yi." He gestured to the slightly shorter man beside him, who had chiseled features, striking eyes, and a self-assured smile on his face that could've been construed as a sly smirk. _

_Zhou Shang, who stood tall but relaxed in his confidence, too held breathtaking features, beard well trimmed and moustache waxed that emphasized the same chiseled features his brother had. His eyes too spoke of intelligence, the kind that could, and sometimes did cause both exasperation and amazement in higher lords of the Han administrations. _

_Sun Ce remembered being intimidated by these men at their first introduction, baring their magnificence in front of the comparatively humble state Lady Wu and her family were in. And even at that age he could tell even his fearless mother was perturbed. _

_"You are Lady Wu, correct?" Zhou Shang asked. _

_Her eyes drew up and down the men again, and answered cautiously, "Yes?" _

_Both brothers bowed again. "That we are glad to hear. We have heard that the great general Sun Jian's wife and family were traveling from afar, and had wondered in passing how you were faring. Heavens give us fortune that you arrive in our town, so that we may see for ourselves." _

_"And we have come to offer the Lady Wu and her family to stay with us during her time here. If...of course that is agreeable to you." Zhou Yi said and Sun Ce's mother noticeably fidgeted where she stood. She did not expect that. _

_She didn't answer right away and Huang Gai let Sun Ce down so he could hover around her in case these...Zhou brothers...decided to do anything nefarious. The offer, generous beyond measure, drew reasonable suspicion on the intentions of these men. _

_"I will advise you gentlemen," Huang Gai growled with a glare. "My lady is a virtuous woman. I hope you aren't looking for other forms of payment for your generosity." _

_The brothers glanced at each other, the younger one, Zhou Yi, looking particularly offended, but he kept his tone controlled and respectful as he rebuked. "I loathe that because of these turbulent times we live in that housing in exchange for intimate favors is considered the norm rather than the hideous exception. No, Lady Wu, Master Huang Gai, we offer our home because you have none and are in need of one, and we have room to give. Nothing more, nothing less." _

_Sun Ce remembered Huang Gai coloring and backing away, shameful that he would insinuate such a thing from the regarded Zhou family let alone think aloud the idea of his friend's wife being offered up to them. _

_"My Lords Zhou Shang and Zhou Yi," his mother bowed stiffly, with Sun Quan still in her arms. "You have traveled on this dreary day a good ways from home to give me this generosity, so it is much appreciated regardless. However, even you must understand my...hesitation...to take up the offer, having no familiarity of this place, nor you personally for that matter." _

_She glanced over her shoulder at Sun Ce and Huang Gai, and Sun Ce could see the debate going on in his mother's head. A debate of where will her family be safest. The halls of a well-established family sounded like a much better place to keep her children, than a modestly-reputed saloon in the poorer side of town. Regardless, Lady Wu looked the brothers in the eyes again and gave an answer she was certain would at least give her time, "So if I may my Lords, I must think on this." _

_That didn't seem to upset the men, as they shrugged. "No matter," Zhou Shang said. "We will send a cart tonight. When you make your decision, you can send them away or go with them. It is entirely your decision." _

_He then turned his head up and over his shoulder at the overcast sky that was quickly darkening with the next wave of rainfall sure to come, "Now, if you'll excuse us, Lady Wu, Master Huang Gai, we should probably take our leave before we are caught in the storms."_


	2. We Just Outsourced: Part 2

Staring off after Zhou Shang, Sun Ce jogged towards his uncle. "Uncle Wu Jing," he called and his uncle turned around. "What is Zhou Shang doing here?"

Wu Jing quickly patted Sun Ce on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, "I assure you only good things, nephew. You'll see in time. Your mother wants you by the way."

Sun Ce shut his eyes tightly, groaning. And there it was. "Of course she does." He watched his uncle catch up to Zhou Shang's pace.

Upon entering the halls of the Sun family headquarters, heading straight towards the private wing where his mother usually conducted business from her quarters, he first encountered his younger sister, Sun Shangxiang, leaning casually against the lacquered walls, picking at her nails. Sun Quan was also leaning by the entryway to their mothers' quarters, scroll in hand, and hands stained with ink. He probably just came from his lessons with ol' curmudgeon himself, Zhang Zhao.

"Oh, good lord, if you two are here, I'm in trouble."

"Absolutely," Sun Shangxiang answered abruptly, looking up from her nails, a broad smile on her youthful face. "We never miss an opportunity to see our dear older brother get a tongue lashing."

"Never use that terminology in reference to mother again, you have to promise me this, Shangxiang," Sun Ce groaned as he ran a hand roughly over his brow.

"She just finished with Wu Jing, so she may be in better spirits than you think," Sun Quan offered a little bit of hope for his older brother.

"Oh please, she finds him more obstinate than even me."

"Well then wallow in your own doom, if you're going to be an asshole about it Sun Ce," the younger man bit tightly.

Sun Ce grumbled and stepped past his brother, resisting the urge to give him a very crude gesture before he faced the threshold. He inhaled tightly through his nose, before announcing his presence.

"Come in, Bofu."

He was a bit relieved that his mother's voice was even and he passed through the threshold with a bow, casual but decently respectful for his mother.

Lady Wu stood near the window shutters, the flickering of her small fire illuminating along the slats. She was modestly dressed in white, her dark auburn hair, with a few strands of silver starting to show through, was partially pulled up, a few tresses falling messily over her shoulders. She was described as a majestic woman by those that have met her. But being his mother, Sun Ce didn't really think he could bring himself to describe her as such, but she was one of the very few reliable and effective sources of discipline for him when he was a child.

"Sun Ce, are you well rested after this latest battle?" was her first question.

Sun Ce gave a curt nod. "I am."

"And Han Dang is well, I take it?" she asked, voice a bit too crisp to not be fishing for something.

"As well as he could be, physically, given the circumstances. But he's not taken to the news about his men very well."

"And no one would expect him to."

"He is human. He should be allowed to...feel whatever he needs to feel over that," Sun Ce said with every ounce of sympathy, as he stared out in the direction of his mother's shutters distantly.

"He is human, as we all are. And humans are free to make mistakes. It is unfortunate that in times of conflict mistakes also mean the end of other peoples' lives."

Sun Ce didn't tell her that it was more or less on his orders that Han Dang charged the base with little backup. He probably didn't have to.

"And are you pleased with the results of this latest battle?"

"No, I'm not!" Sun Ce said tersely. "It's obvious I'm not, Mother. And I don't need or want to be reminded of what happened when I already _know." _

Lady Wu ignored her son's flash of temper in her presence. It wasn't directed at her. At least not all of it. "I only wish to see you pleased and happy. But you aren't satisfied?"

"NO, Mother," Sun Ce paused, annoyed gaze at the rafters. "Look, we have great guys. I can't trade them for the world, over...this whole thing."

His mother moved away from the shudders towards the fire to look her son face-to-face, "I too would not trade our men for the world. But if you aren't satisfied with your food, why not add more ingredients?"

"Okay, the cooking proverbs are probably why I was a fat kid, Ma," Sun Ce complained.

"Help is always a resource that can be hard to find these days," Lady Wu clarified delicately, folding her arms inside the sleeves of her robe. "Pride can dwindle that resource away. We have been blessed with meeting many generous people who have gone on to lend aid to us. It seems we have reached great strength, that is clear, but with that strength it becomes harder to manage with the same amount of people."

"I'm guessing why I found Zhou Shang out on the grounds has something to do with the point you are trying to make."

A lilt of Lady Wu's head told Sun Ce that she didn't appreciate the flippant tone, still she pressed on. "Yes I have brought Zhou Shang in for council on getting such help. If you are still agreeable to it."

Sun Ce didn't feel in a position to have much choice. To refuse at least a little recruitment at this juncture was asinine. Even he knew that. Cheng Pu was the complete package even at his advancing age. There wasn't a more loyal soldier than Huang Gai. And no one worked harder under pitiable or unpopular circumstances like Han Dang. His family owed a lot to Zhu Zhi and his family. Sun Ce trusted his father's old officers just as much as the ones he's hand picked, if not more so, but he couldn't have five Cheng Pu's at every corner of his armies.

His mother, as usual, was right.

"Well...," he began, exhaustively, "...what does Zhou Shang have in mind?"

* * *

That evening, on the compound grounds, where soldiers stationed themselves for drills, Lu Fan enclosed himself in one of the officers' tents, going over sheets of reporting. He didn't know what he was looking for, or what he could do at this point, but he had to occupy his time.

Ever since their 'victory', Lu Fan had felt sick with nerves. He had missed an ambush party that would have ruined everything. Thank Heavens that Lord Cheng Pu had arrived and the damage was minimal.

He needed a distraction. And while he rather go over his meditations in his home in his free time, at this point, mindlessly going over old notes, looking busy, seemed the preferable method while waiting nervously for his fate from his general.

His fate came when he heard his name called from outside his tent. "Ziheng?"

Lu Fan turned abruptly from his seat, nearly tipping over his ink.

"Hey," that rich familiar voice called through the flap of the tent. Sun Ce poked his head and arm in; a bottle of wine in his hand. "Mind if I join you?"

"O-of course, Lord Sun Ce," Lu Fan answered, scrambling to remove the papers and scrolls from his desk, as if his young lord at all cared if his quarters were clean and presentable. Sun Ce placed the bottle of wine on his desk and plopped on a set of cushions that served more as Lu Fan's bed when he found himself in camp.

No matter how long they have known each other, Sun Ce always seemed to forget that Lu Fan didn't drink alcohol. On personal principle. But every time Sun Ce called on Lu Fan for company he'd bring a bottle of some alcohol or another, and two cups.

"Though I suspect me being here gives you some concern," Sun Ce poured himself a drink and then plopped himself on the pile of cushions. "I don't want to stress you out, Ziheng."

"There were concerns that occurred to me, yes," Lu Fan spun around in his spot to face his lounging Lord. "I know I should've caught the ambush troops. And I wish I could explain why I missed them. But at this moment I can't."

Sun Ce gave a loud puff between his lips and waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter now. You're not the only one racking their brains over what happened."

For a brief moment Sun Ce seemed withdrawn, as if the battle too had shaken his confidence when he thought about it. The last couple of battles had not gone the way the Sun army was used to. But that was the nature of their enemies now. Bigger, and more clever.

Sun Ce's eyes lifted back to Lu Fan's and lifted his cup in cheers, before taking another sip. "We'll get back at Zu Lang, don't worry. I aim for the final blow on the next excursion. We're even bringing in extra muscle for it."

"I heard," Lu Fan's voice was stern, twisting the brush in his hand idly. Sun Ce sat back against the pillows, observing his faithful strategist in mild amusement. He was no stranger to concerns from troops over military restructuring. Some wanted to know if they would gain or lose positions or status. Most worried they would be replaced or sent off on a mindless assignment.

"Lu Fan," Sun Ce called and the younger man glanced over his shoulder at this friend. "No one's being replaced if that's your concern. At least definitely not you."

"It's not my concern, though you do give me a bit of relief."

"You're a terrible liar," the general chuckled. "And hey, do not blame me. Ma was pretty insistent on this move and I was not in a position to say no. Even so, my new ally will be coordinating with us with his own troops and his own ring of espionage. Not act as my personal coordinator to my unit. That's your job. And your job only."

Suddenly, Lu Fan felt guilty. Of course his friend wouldn't leave him in the dust over the past incident. And yet, his failure in securing a painless victory was tearing at the back of his mind for the past couple of days. And with the swift news that Sun Ce was bringing in another friend-who by and large has gained some soft recognition locally for his own exploits in defending against bandits and tribes-it was easy to feel the pressure mount to bring better results.

"But espionage?" Lu Fan asked, concerned still. "Doesn't that go against our Confucian principles?"

"We've done a lot of things against our Confucian principles," Sun Ce shrugged in his robe. "And technically _we_ aren't coordinating the espionage, just utilizing it. The friend I'll be coordinating with takes the philosophy seriously, trust me on this one, but personally, I can understand losing patience with some of its teachings on warfare nowadays."

The rigid look on Lu Fan's face revealed that the technicality was not something he was comfortable with, a man as devout in the philosophy as he was.

Sun Ce's eyes followed the form of his friend, noticing, finally that Lu Fan had not had one sip. And then realized his mistake, eyes widening. "Ah, jeez, I'm sorry Lu Fan, I forgot…"

"It's alright, my lord."

"I promise I won't pass out on your, shockingly, comfy cushions here," Sun Ce began shifting in his seat, earning a smile from his strategist. He poured himself another drink, "Well, tomorrow's another day, Ziheng. A day I will probably spend dodging angry and panicked officers, if you can help me with that."


	3. We Just Outsourced: Part 3

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply. Also warning: A lot of swears in this one.

**We Just Outsourced: Part 3**

Cheng Pu ascended to his modest home on the hills along the Drenching Cliffs, named so for its frequent rains. He just couldn't wait to sit down, have some tea, and sleep and meditate until the young master Ce came calling again.

As he dismounted onto the gravel way, he became a little perturbed that this house was oddly quiet. He already lived with his family in relative solitude, but it seemed even more silent than usual.

As he stepped over the threshold, he uttered a soft greeting, keeping his eyes open, just in case.

"Hello?" he glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Anyone?"

"Demou."

His head jerked to the left as he heard the familiar call. Cheng Pu's normally rigid face softened, his home making him feel at ease, his house, and his wife. All was still complete.

Or so he thought.

"Jianyi," his voice lost all edge, and came out as a passionate whisper, the same voice that never failed to drive his wife to be extra passionate in return. He closed the distance and braced her shoulders, staring down into her brown eyes, "I live to see another day. Aren't you glad? I still have all my limbs!"

The woman didn't respond to his weary smile. In fact, she looked downright forlorn.

"Jianyi, what's wrong? Where's Cheng Zi?"

Her chin wobbled subtly, as she choked back a sob, "My lord Demou, I am…I am truly glad you are safe. My heart felt as if in a vice until I heard word of your well-being."

After she swallowed her tears, she let go of what she had been holding onto for so long in their marriage, "Cheng Pu, I...I sent Zi to my mother's. To live. In fact, it is where I have been staying. I only returned to be sure you didn't come home to an empty house before I gave you this message."

"What message?" Cheng Pu's voice took on a hard edge. And if his wife had been any other person, she may have flinched. But she was stronger than most when it came to Cheng Pu and his tendency to be overbearing when displeased.

"I can't stay here. Not without you."

"And I'm here!"

"Before when!" her eyes shined brightly, meeting his steely ones. "Before you run off again for heavens knows how long?!"

Finally, his wife began weeping freely, "You're never around. We nearly have gone bankrupt twice now. I'm doing what I can to keep us all together, but I fear Cheng Zi is suffering because of it."

Cheng Pu's mind had gone blank. Normally a blissful reprieve from the curse of his over analytical mind, but now it left a sour feel in his bones. He hadn't seen this coming. Sure things were stressful with the amount of campaigns being launched lately, but he never would have seen that his wife and son would be so ready to leave his homestead.

He tightened his lips, feeling just a bit spiteful. But not enough to try to force the outcome to be any different, "You know you cannot legally do this without a chancellor's permission."

His wife, his beloved, sighed, "I know. But you love me too much to stop me. Don't you, Demou?"

"But you don't love me enough to not go."

His wife shook her head, "My handsome Demou, I am still very much in love just as much as when we met at the lily fields when we were children. My love has never faded."

She reached out, tentatively, to caress the sash he had pinned around his shoulders, her fine, but strong fingers stroking fondly, wistful in a memory. But something obviously stopped her. "But I have found I have priorities over my love for you. My child. My family. I am not cruel, Demou, I won't take your son away from you forever. So long as you are home, you may see him. But when you leave, he is to be with my family. Where he is safe."

Caught off guard and defeated, Cheng Pu chewed on more words. He didn't trust his temper enough for them not to be hateful at that moment. That would only drive her and Zi away even more. He wasn't used to standing down, but he barely had the energy to do much else anymore. He relented, feeling his heart crumble as he and his wife shared one last cup of tea before she departed.

* * *

Han Dang hadn't made his presence known very much since the last battle with Zu Lang. Partially he was still recovering from his injuries, but mostly he felt that he couldn't show his face around the army again. All fifteen of his troops were dead, their families torn apart.

Master Cheng Pu always told him that his thirst for validation would bring him to ruin. Here it did.

It was only because of a note from Huang Gai that he even bothered leaving his small apartment near the river docks. He invited him and Zhu Zhi out for hunting, and Han Dang felt he needed someone to interact with.

The group, along with a few of their trusted officers managed to nab a deer that afternoon, and instead of returning to headquarters boasting of their catch, they decided to camp out in a clearing, still able to see the walls of the town from down the wooded hills.

Oblivious to the slow and subtle shift that was about to occur within their army, Han Dang quickly realized why the veterans wanted to be away from the ears of the Sun family at the moment.

"I gotta ask you two what the hell went on that's got Lord Sun Ce spooked," Huang Gai barked as he placed thick twigs on the growing campfire. "I was ready to go on assignment, and he told me I am on standby. And he's got no future plans that I know of."

"I heard that Sun Ce is bringing in another military commander in. Or advisor, I don't remember what they said," Zhu Zhi said as he was flaying the carcass of the deer.

"Oooh, Cheng Pu is not going to like that," Huang Gai rumbled, shaking his head solemnly, almost as if he were concerned of what would befall Sun Ce should the veteran tactician hear of this.

"A lot of people aren't going to like it," Han Dang said softly, but couldn't hide the bitterness in his tone. He too didn't like to hear about Sun Ce looking elsewhere for guidance. Everyone there had served the Sun family faithfully since the days of Sun Jian, that should account for something. Was everyone obsolete now that Sun Ce has expanded his territory tenfold and was aiming for more?

"Heavens. That bad?" Huang Gai took his seat on a log by their small camp and began cleaning the pelts Zhu Zhi had carved from the deer carcass. They would send the skins to the tanners and the meat to the supply captain. It wasn't much but one deer could supply a little extra food and gear for a few of their soldiers.

"For most forces our size, it's easy to simply take a win as it comes. But as you have heard there were too many avoidable mistakes. And it cost our soldiers' lives."

Han Dang remained silent, the pang of the reminder of his unit coming back like a misplaced acupuncture needle. He roughly broke off the end of a wayward stick he picked up and tossed it into the flames.

As the three officers mulled about their future, they at least had knowledge of what was coming. Cheng Pu, who quickly left for home as soon as the army returned to base, would be one of the last. The three senior officers were anxiously awaiting the oncoming response when it would inevitably reach him.

* * *

After his wife had left, eventually Cheng Pu found himself loathing the silence of home. Odd for him, who usually found the quiet a nice respite from the fighting, arguing, and the normal constant noise involved with being a Sun family officer.

He was thankful that Lady Wu had summoned him for a talk around the small patch of greenery outside the barracks that they treated as a garden. It was an opportunity to get away from the painful emptiness he was feeling.

"Thank you for your correspondence during the last battle, Cheng Pu," she thanked him with a nod. "And for saving my son."

"It was of no consequence, my lady. I only seek to see the success of the army," he held his hands out in front of him in a courteous gesture. He straightened to his full height, adjusting his finer selection of robes.

In their younger days, Cheng Pu was considered to be the handsome one of the group, tall, magnificent, with slim slate-grey eyes, well-spoken and learned, and Lady Wu found him all those things when Sun Jian first introduced her to him. But he always had a grimness about him that pulled his exquisite features. Now, years later, Cheng Pu was still very much a catch, still a towering presence, but grey had colored his dark hair and beard, and that grimness had added harsh lines to his face.

"Where is our young master, speaking of?" he asked, ears perked to hear his lord's loud voice off somewhere in the grounds.

"He's writing messages to our new recruit. He has seemingly turned around to the idea of getting a little extra help."

_ A little extra help? _Cheng Pu gave her a confused look.

"Excuse me?" he asked, caught off guard.

"They...didn't report this to you?" Cheng Pu didn't like the quizzical look his Lady was giving him. It quickly told him that he was supposed to know something long ago, and likely that something was going to make him very very upset.

"I am feeling foolish now, I don't know what you are talking about."

Lady Wu set her jaw tight, eyes flickering to the small butterflies around a patch of flowers near them. "Sun Ce is going to recruit outside assistance."

"In what capacity?" Cheng Pu didn't hold back the gruffness in his tone.

Lady Wu paused and shut her eyes, whispering, "...we cannot answer that yet. That is for Sun Ce and the recruit to decide."

He arched his brows, stunned. To let someone dictate their position upon entry was something.

"Has he sought the advice of his other advisers?"

"He has notified others, yes, which is why I am confused as to why you do not know of this situation."

He held back on voicing more of his frustration. He did not want to unsettle Lady Wu, but this unnerved him. It was no longer what it was years ago when Sun Ce made more friends than enemies, due to others underestimating the strength and size of his forces. Now that he was getting more renown, enemies and friends alike could be around every corner. It was best to be wary before more vetting could be done.

"So I'm being shut out?" Cheng Pu growled, failing to hide his distaste over the matter. "I cannot in good conscience sit by and let Lord Sun Ce make this arbitrary decision without consulting his allies first."

"He didn't make the decision. I did," Lady Wu announced. "I asked him to seek out this man."

At that, Cheng Pu went rigid. He didn't dare say a word, embarrassed that he had insulted the widow of his Lord. "I...I did not realize."

He shifted his weight and got to his knees, kowtowing, asking for supplication and forgiveness, an action he was not used to, but he would gladly eat his words if he truly realized he was in the wrong. "Please forgive me, my lady."

Lady Wu made a grand expression of exhaustive annoyance, "Get up, Demou. We're long friends. I do not care to have friends grovel before me over a minor insult."

Cheng Pu stood, getting back to his towering, majestic self, "Then as a friend, I must ask why you would recommend a total stranger to work so closely with our young general."

"He is no stranger. His family opened their home to us when we had to flee Shouchun ...And his ancestors had just a strong connection to Jiangdong as my beloved."

Cheng Pu's shoulders slumped, figuring there was no turning back from this at this point, "Could I at least see what the lad is made up of before I hand over the trust of my forces into the hands of this man?"

"You are not being replaced, Demou," Lady Wu assured passively as she stared back at her makeshift attempt at a garden. "I just worry, as my son's ambitions expand, people like you and Han Dang will be thoroughly overworked. Any help is surely a boon, don't you think?"

His jaw tightened.

"Surely, at the very least, it will allow you more time to be at home with your family."

There was another twitch and Cheng Pu's normally self assured voice began to crack, "They didn't tell you?"

"My word, missed messages seem to be the theme of the day. Tell me what?"

"My wife, my family. They left me. It seems my history with running off with our Lord Sun Jian and now his sons has left them strained on the homefront," Cheng Pu shook his head. "It...was too much for Jianyi and Zi."

Lady Wu shook her head in dismay, "You know my feelings of your...beloved. I consider her a sister. So suffice it to say I find myself disappointed in her, that she would abandon her own Lord."

He was finding himself losing his edge ever so slightly. He assumed he had come to peace with everything but it was apparent that no matter how much he tried, just thinking about that dreaded conversation left a sore spot.

"No...she's right. I was never around. I do not blame you or our late Lord, just...my inability to manage my time. But at the very least now I can dedicate every last drop of my energy to your family."

If he was expecting a smile out of the woman, he would be disappointed. She set her normally wistful lips into a rigid line, caught between being gratified for his sacrifice, or stricken with sadness and pity for the poor majestic of the Sun clan army. Suddenly, after some time, the Lady laughed.

"My dear Demou, you have given me a valuable lesson."

"And what's that?"

"My business is in the might of the Sun, as is my son's and my late husband's. I never had to dwell in the thoughts of other priorities, and perhaps I should be ashamed of it. I will do my best in making sure Sun Ce doesn't overdo it with the spontaneous decision making. So I put in his service another capable mind, to be sure his spontaneity is at a minimum. That way all our men can have their domestic lives in equal balance."

Cheng Pu was doubtful it would be as optimistic as Lady Wu seemed to foresee. But could not see the memories whirling in Lady Wu's head of late.

* * *

_ The Zhou brothers did not lie. Before the clouds turned completely black with the coming nightfall, a carriage with an escort arrived in front of their tiny room, causing quite the stir in the district. _

_ Still, Lady Wu did not make her decision that evening. Her initial instinct was to apologize to the escort and send him away but she didn't think it polite to decline the offer right away without upholding her end of her promise of thinking things through. The storms arrived, and taking pity on the escort, they invited the man inside. The escort said one word of thanks, before standing at attention, unblinkingly near the door way. _

_ Shaking his head, Huang Gai began rummaging in his things for his cloak. _

_ "Where are you going, Gongfu?" Lady Wu asked as the large man slung his traveling cloak over his shoulders. Huang Gai glanced at the stoic escort and answered softly, "Doing an investigation." _

_ He bowed before his lady, "I will return shortly. Do you think you can…?" _

_ Huang Gai didn't say it aloud, but Lady Wu understood. He wanted to know if she could defend herself should the escort change out of his stone facade and have ulterior motives. She wasn't Sun Jian's wife for nothing. Not the very least a bullish child like Sun Ce wouldn't make things any easier with him tumbling around. _

_ The corner of her lips turned up as she gave a light nod. Huang Gai then turned and disappeared into the storm. _

_ Hours passed as the family inside found themselves in a standstill. Though the escort had not moved or spoken since entering their quarters, it wasn't an easy presence to get used to. But the long lull of the storm outside was boring Sun Ce, who was fascinated by the escort as he was donned in light armor and held a sword at his side. Boldly, the boy approached the escort and stared up at the man's blank face, almost waiting for the man to warn him from coming any closer. _

_ Sun Ce's eyes lingered on the pommel of the blade at the man's side. Intrigued, he reached out to touch it. Still yet, the escort did not budge, but he did blink. _

_ "Ce!" his mother scolded. Sun Ce retracted his hand immediately. "Your father surely has taught you not to touch other people's weapons without permission." _

_ Ignoring the fascination of a sword, Sun Ce turned to his mother, "He never taught me that! He taught me grabbing them is the best way to disarm an enemy!" _

_ Lady Wu rolled her eyes but held a smile on her face. _

_ Suddenly, in a rush of cold and wet, the door to their flat opened, Huang Gai's big body ducked into the dryness of the room. _

_ "How did your investigation go?" Lady Wu asked. "I assume you were looking into the Zhou brothers." _

_ Huang Gai began furiously removing his drenched cloak, "Well, all of whom I spoke to sing nothing but praises of the family, so at the very least they are popular among the locals." _

_ He glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see the escort in the exact same position he was in when he left. "The younger one, Yi, was the Prefect of Luoyang a few years back. That and they have a military past to the Imperial throne. I had thought the name sounded familiar..." _

_ "What do you think, Gongfu? Would you feel at ease with us staying with their family?" Lady Wu asked very patiently, as if she too were stewing on her own decision on the matter in her head. She did want to take her old friend's thoughts into consideration. Huang Gai could be trusted with their safety, as he always was. _

_ "I would not feel at ease unless I have you in my sight at all times, my Lady. No matter where you are," Huang Gai eyes meeting Quan who had finally exhausted himself to sleep from being so disturbed by the storm. And then his eyes fell on Sun Ce. "But they do seem honorable and trustworthy. There is very little reason for them to want anything from us. Given their past with the military I think it stands to reason they may see something kindred in Lord Sun Jian." _

_ Humming her agreement, Lady Wu stepped towards the escort. "Very well, sir. Allow us some time to get our things arranged, and then we will go with you." _

_ The escort barked a simple confirmation, hands folded out in military acknowledgement, before turning to leave the flat, awaiting them outside. _

_ The rains had stopped but the sky was still overcast when they arrived at the Zhou manor, a sprawling but spartan complex. The outdoor areas and courtyards of the property dwarfed the modest main house and the nearly equally sized guest house attached. The family, for how wealthy they were, very clearly did not spend that wealth on frivolous ventures and objects to display it. _

_ As they were led through the courtyard gates, familiar figures of two men appeared outside, two younger boys in tow, as Zhou Shang and Zhou Yi stepped out to personally greet them. _

_ The escort knelt before the two elder Zhou brothers, and bowed, sword in front of him, "My lords, I have completed this task asked of me. I thank you for your entrusting me with this assignment." _

_ Zhou Shang leaned to the side and said lowly in his brother's ear, "Second brother, this man stood out in the rain and cold. We should give him double what we owe." _

_ Zhou Yi nodded stiffly, eyes never leaving the escort, "Agreed. You, Master Escort, did well, we thank you. You may take your leave, sir, once you are paid." _

_ The escort barked his confirmation of his order and stepped aside for the families to more formally get introduced to each other. The Sun family filed out of the carriage, loyal Huang Gai included, and were faced with the members of the Zhou household. Zhou Shang and Zhou Yi of course, but they were also met with two younger boys, the older one looking to be in his young adulthood, and the younger one had to be Sun Ce's age. _

_ "My lady, I am glad to see you have arrived safely." _

_ Lady Wu raised her eyes to the skys, "The Heavens must've been pleased with this decision, as the rains have stopped." _

_ After a noise of agreement, and nods from the men, Zhou Yi gestured to the two younger members. "Let me introduce you to my oldest, Zhou Yan," Zhou Yi placed a proud hand on the shoulder of the older boy next to him, who smiled broadly. _

_ "And we don't mean to brag, but he's about to head to Lujiang for his first administrative test," Zhou Shang clapped the boy on the back, his own chiseled smile shining. "We are eager to hear what good things await his hard work." _

_ "I wish you the best, young master Zhou Yan," Lady Wu said softly and bowed her head. Zhou Yan responded in kind. "Thank you, Lady Wu." _

_ Zhou Yi then gestured to the younger boy, "And my younger son, Zhou Yu…" _

_ His younger son was silent and devoid of the casual smiles that graced his Uncle and older brother, and for a child who had such a fair face, and beautiful long dark hair, he held a sternness more reminiscent of Zhou Yi on his temperamental days. _

_ Despite the boy's comparatively delicate features, he looked strong for his age, much like Sun Ce was, but while his bullish strength at that age took the form of overall...roundness, this Zhou boy already appeared to have the strength of the careful discipline of a budding soldier. For a child, he stood straight, carrying himself like a small adult. _

_ "...I suppose he would be close to your eldest son's age." _

_ Lady Wu could sense Sun Ce at her side, carefully eyeing the boy, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, finally excited to see a peer ever since traveling with his family on their journey. Zhou Yu didn't look as eager. In fact, he seemed more uncertain than anything. The boy probably was caught off guard in realizing complete strangers would be living in his home. _

_"It is a pleasure to meet you."_ _Lady Wu, dressed in the best robes she had for the move-in, bent down to the ground before the young boy. A smile on her face, soft and gentle, as she often gave their own children whenever they became upset during their uncertain lives. She held out her hand, waiting for the boy to accept it, as boys usually desire to do at this age. Assuming he still held a connection to his mother._

_ Zhou Yi clasped his arms behind his back, and looked down on his son, waiting, not seeing the way young Zhou Yu could only regard the Lady in confusion. The father's brow twitched when Zhou Yu ignored the hand Lady Wu offered him and instead, the boy held his hands out and bowed his head tightly, but properly. Impressive for a boy his age, but not at all what the Lady was expecting. _

_ Zhou Shang chuckled while Zhou Yi said rigidly, "You'll have to excuse the boy, my lady. He has been raised around mostly men since a young age, so he doesn't always understand the difference in finesse and elegance offered by the female gender. Especially mothers." _

_ As weighted the explanation was, the sigh Lady Wu gave was one of pity. But she managed to hold the boy's gaze for a moment. "Now I'm sure a son from the Zhou family is equally familiar with elegant pursuits." _

_ The brothers glanced at each other briefly, and Zhou Yi casually shifted his weight in his robes glancing back down at his son. _

_ "Well," he smiled, the barest of attempts. "Zhou Yu has a good ear for music. He likes to play when he gets a break from his studies." _

_ Lady Wu beamed, and reached over to lightly touch the boy's shoulder, "Well, I should like to hear your beautiful music sometime then, young Master Zhou." _

_ "You can call him Zhou Yu, my Lady," Zhou Yi's deep voice cut in. "You are his elder and an honored guest, you can treat him as an inferior." _

_ She chewed on an opinion. An opinion on how she really felt about all the regulatory protocol that came with elite families. Especially upon the children of those families. She often pronounced, while she admired gestures of respect, the stringent adherence to traditional terms wasn't for her. The terms 'inferior' and 'superior' rattled her and she did not raise her children to care about such concepts. _

_ "Sun Ce," Lady Wu turned to her oldest son at her side. "Please give your thanks to your peer and his family." _

_ In a surprisingly sheepish fashion, Sun Ce stepped out from behind his mother's robes to face Zhou Yu. Sun Ce contemplated the boy and then thought it best to copy his fashion of greeting, hands out in a courteous, yet awkward bow. "Nice to meet you." _

* * *

"Jiiingg!" a small boy whined after his older brother as they walked along the dirt path from their small farm towards the forest. Jing wasn't going far, just across the bridge over the stream. That's where he heard a gathering of voices. That's where the thieves went.

"You gotta keep up, Gan," the nine year old told his younger brother over his shoulder. "Them bandits ain't gonna steal our chickens and get away with it."

The smaller boy, Gan, struggled to keep up with his elder brother, all the while getting more and more anxious the further away Jing dragged them away from home.

The boys entered the forest, an area known to them well when they would go out and play after morning chores. Jing tried his best to follow the distant chatter of where the thieves stationed themselves.

"There they are!" Jing hissed and pointed to a clearing of well armed soldiers laughing and chuckling over a chicken one of them had held between his hands.

"Maybe we should go tell Mom-" before Gan could finish, Jing marched through the clearing gaining the soldiers' attention. They all immediately fell silent and turned their heads towards the boys.

"Hey!" he yelled, eyes on the soldier with his family's chicken in his hands, "That's our chicken! Give it back!"

Now the soldiers were laughing at them, taunting. "I don't see how. Seeing as it's in our hands."

"You stole it!"

Gan stumbled up behind his brother to grab his hand in an effort to try to keep him from causing any more trouble.

"We need that chicken to feed our family!" Jing shouted at the men over his little brother's whimpers. The soldier frowned and stood, chicken still in his hands. He rounded on the boy, holding out the animal just above Jing's reach.

"You want this thing?" the man growled glaring down at the boy.

The chicken clucked.

"Then come and take it-"

"What's all this then!?"

A stern voice drew their attention, and heads turned to find another soldier approaching them through the trees. The soldier was dressed more finely, and his blue and white-plated armor spoke of someone of rank, but he was definitely of the same army as the camping soldiers.

However, the encroaching soldier's youthful and handsome face made his band of allies highly skeptical. Probably a local lord's son wanting to play war. Whatever rank he had, they assumed, was likely not achieved through the same means they had to go through.

The soldier with the chicken seethed, "None of your business."

The young soldier stopped, but didn't look perturbed. Instead he replied, matter-of-factly, "It is my business, so long as we fight under the same banner. Where is your captain?"

"Not here. So it's just you and us, kiddo."

The chicken-napper was properly annoyed, and, staring daggers at the young man, then, like with Jing, the thief held out the chicken in front him, daring the young soldier to approach, "How about you give it a go then. See if you can take this chicken from me."

The young man's face was unreadable, even as he slowly stepped forward, within reaching distance of the poor animal, quietly accepting the challenge.

The thief was confident in his skills in the martial arts. Not a master by any means but he lived a life where he had to hold his own for much of it. The idea that a handsome-faced youth such as the soldier in front of him could at all have near as much experience in fighting as he was laughable.

But things didn't go as planned for the thief.

There was a twist, a snap, and a sharp cry as the thief fell to his knees, the young man holding his wrist in his hand. The chicken fluttered to the ground, flapping it's useless wings until it drifted safely and obliviously to its feet. The young officer had, in a blink of an eye, reached out, grabbed the thief's wrist and twisted the arm out of his socket, causing incredible pain. The other soldiers jumped back, aghast and shaken by the swiftness of it all.

"Normally I don't make it a habit to do this," the young man spoke over the soldier's cries. "But you should know that thievery from locals is punishable by death."

"That is not Lord Zhou Yu pissing off his own soldiers is it?"

Everyone turned their heads, seeing a contingent of mounted officers trot towards them, recognizable to everyone.

"Lord Sun Ce," one of the privates murmured in awe. The soldiers bowed their heads before one of their allied generals.

Sun Ce reared his stallion, fixing the young officer and the now wounded soldier with an amused stare. "I never took you to resort to breaking your soldiers, in the literal sense, General."

"You're...the General?" a soldier attending to the man whose arms were just broken gazed at the long haired young man in awe, and horror. Everyone in the unit looked positively ashamed.

"That is correct," Zhou Yu's voice hardened into a more commanding tone as he noticed their captain emerge from the woods, adjusting his trousers after relieving himself. The captain did not expect to see several of the armies generals around his men when he returned. "Captain, I do not like harming my own soldiers, so I would be most grateful if you could do a better job to keep them in line."

The captain bowed and accepted his scolding, "Of course, General."

"And give them a run down of who's who next time. Our high ranking officers are readily available that any mistakes in identity should not be present in this army. Additionally, we have plenty of supplies, so there is no need to be stealing from locals. Either way, I am now out of a soldier. One less than what I had promised General Sun Ce. Your shame and your soldiers' shame is now also mine."

The captain swallowed, eyes widening, and mouth open over a boundless apology he couldn't begin to vocalize. Zhou Yu shook his head, folding his arms over his chest, voice softening just slightly, "Learn from this and do better to set expectations for your men, understood?"

The captain bowed again and pulled his unit together, a few dragging the wounded soldier to get him patched up as best they could. The young peasant boys gathered their chicken, but froze when Zhou Yu's eyes fell on them before he politely instructed one of the petty officers at his side to escort the boys home.

Sun Ce dismounted as Zhou Yu approached him with a calm smile, "You know it's because they're expecting their generals to be old grey men, not...you."

Ignoring his quip, they both embraced, clapping each other's backs, long time friends meeting together once again.

"I made it here as quickly as I could, vetted as much as possible, but obviously I had to account for a few that have slipped through the cracks," Zhou Yu glanced over in the direction where his shamed captain took his unit. "There's still much room to improve from, and I aim to get there quickly."

"I wonder how many are going to stay when they find out it's actually going to be really like they're in the army. Like Imperial-grade army. Not some rinky dink bandit team. You know, the people I recruit."

"You were always about letting a person's strength come out through their freedom. It has worked for you."

"And intense, back-breaking, controlling discipline is still very much your modus operandi I see," Sun Ce's eyes took another good look at his friend he hadn't seen in a year, especially the way he and most of his men carried themselves. It was an impressive looking group to see in the Southlands. "Worked for you in some ways. Still, you got here with practically a whole 'nother army in tow on short notice. Man, am I happy to see you."

Sun Ce smacked Zhou Yu on the back, hard, and turned to his officers, Cheng Pu and Han Dang. "Master Cheng Pu, Master Han Dang, I don't know if any of you guys met Zhou Yu before. We're like brothers. Go way, way back. He's probably got some horror stories to tell if you're interested."

Zhou Yu gave a wide courteous bow before the two older generals, "An honor, Master Cheng Pu, Master Han Dang. Sun Ce has told me tales of your ventures."

Han Dang readily responded in kind, but Cheng Pu could not resist a frown. Already not on board with new blood unfamiliar with the Sun army forces, he wasn't all at ease seeing this new 'help' was not a year above Sun Ce's age.

The young officer didn't pay any mind and motioned for Sun Ce and his officers to follow him, "I want to show you something, Sun Ce."

Already giddy with excitement and glee, Sun Ce stared after his old friend just wondering what more he had up his sleeve.

He took them to an area with a mess of unopened crates soldiers were unloading from carts. Zhou Yu instructed the soldiers to pry open one of them, and as they lifted the top, Sun Ce's eyes sparkled as much as it's contents.

"Ho-leee fuck…" Sun Ce whispered aghast as he bent down to pick up a shiny, perfectly sharpened sword.

"Brand new weapons from blacksmiths in Niuzhu. Should be enough to get the advanced guards some new gear at least," Zhou Yu explained but Sun Ce was hardly interested in the details at the moment. He was absolutely stunned speechless.

"How did you get all this on such short notice?" Cheng Pu asked, his suspicious gaze still on Zhou Yu. A whole army prepped and stationed, with brand new weaponry in a matter of days, he would admit was impressive. _ It's almost like the kid prepared for this a while ago. _

"You'd be surprised what money can do as an incentive. That and Sun Ce's name carries some prestige. With a little nudging they were willing to put their other orders on hold to get these made."

Pleased couldn't begin to describe Sun Ce's state. He was in a state of complete ecstasy at everything he was hearing. He thrust both muscular arms in the air and hollered, "YES!"

He slapped Cheng Pu on the shoulder and pointed enthusiastically to the young Zhou Yu, "See, with this fucker around, we aren't losing a goddamn thing. Ever."

Everyone missed Cheng Pu's immediate expression of disgust.

"I mean, guys, with all this just...fucking done already...if we don't win this then I truly don't deserve to be the leader of this army. Can't make it any easier."

He turned and roughly grabbed his friend by the shoulders, Zhou Yu's smile quickly matching his in their mutual excitement, "Ready to kick ass, pal?"

* * *

A/n: Already I made a big boo boo in terms of historical accuracy on style names, like Sun Ce wouldn't be technically called 'Bofu' until he's a much older young adult. Instead of fixing in the flashbacks of previous chapters I'm just going to quietly drop it.


End file.
